Switzerland vs. Sweden prediction: Olympic Women’s Hockey bronze medal game odds, pick, best bet

Every team comes to the Winter Olympics with the gold medal as its goal, but Team USA and Canada have a monopoly on that honor in women’s hockey, making the bronze-medal game a massive opportunity for another country to prove itself as the “best of the rest.”

For Switzerland and Sweden, the two teams squaring off in Thursday’s battle for third place, this is a monumental opportunity.

Switzerland has one medal in this event, a bronze in Sochi 2014, while Sweden has two, a silver in Turin 2006 and a Bronze in Salt Lake City 2002.

Sweden is the -175 favorite to get on the podium.

Sweden vs. Switzerland odds, prediction

This one has the feeling of a pitcher’s duel in baseball. It’s all about the goaltenders.

Switzerland’s Andrea Braendli was sensational again in the quarterfinals against Canada, giving the Swiss a real shot at the upset by stopping 44 of 46 shots she faced.

The Swiss were only able to muster up one goal and eight shots, but they put a scare into the Canadians, which is an achievement in itself.

Ebba Svensson Traff of Team Sweden in action. AFP via Getty Images

Braendli’s .948 save percentage ranks second in the tournament behind Team USA’s Aerin Frankel, but the Swiss has faced a much tougher workload than the American.

In fact, it’s hard to suggest anybody has had a bigger impact on this tournament than Braendli.

Sweden’s goaltender, Ebba Svensson Träff, has also put together a magnificent tournament, albeit against a lighter schedule than Braendli.

Because of the tournament’s tiered structure, Sweden was placed in Group B with Japan, Italy, Germany and France. That easy schedule allowed Svensson Traff and Germany to pad their numbers, as the Swedes didn’t really face a true test until Czechia in the quarterfinals.

2026 WINTER OLYMPICS

• See today’s Olympics schedule and medal count
• Eileen Gu fires back at Olympic reporter over ‘ridiculous perspective’ after silver-medal finishes
• French hockey player banned for Olympics fight now facing legal trouble
• Sidney Crosby leaves Canada’s game vs. Czechia in Olympics injury worry
• Dog crashes cross-country ski event in wild Olympics scene

Svensson Träff was superb in that performance, stopping all 29 shots she faced.

And while it’s hard to fault the goaltender in Sweden’s 5-0 loss to Team USA in the semifinals, she did get pulled, which makes you wonder where her confidence is ahead of Thursday’s contest.

Goaltending aside, it’s easy to look at Sweden’s numbers and get wrapped up.

The Swedes boast a plus-13 goal difference, the second-best mark in the tournament, and they’ve only allowed two goals to teams not named USA.

Betting on the NHL?

• Check out the best NHL betting sites
• Read our expert guide on how to bet on the NHL

That looks much better than Switzerland’s minus-10 mark, but the Swiss had to play Canada twice, Team USA, Czechia and Finland. That’s a gauntlet.

The numbers may favor the Swedes, but when you add in the context, this game comes out as a coin flip and will likely be decided by the goaltending.

I’ll ride with Braendli to lead the Swiss to the upset.

The Play: Switzerland (+145, DraftKings)

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.